Japan Defense Minister to visit India, plan first-ever joint military exercise: reports

報導：日國防部長訪問印，計劃首次聯合軍事演習

Japan and India to plan greater military cooperation in a bid to respond to China’s increasing military presence in South Asia


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Japan's Defense Minister, Itsunori Onodera will visit India in mid-August to discuss significant expansion of military cooperation and for the first-ever bilateral joint military exercises, reported Kyodo News.

Onodera and India Defense Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman are expected to announce plans for the joint military exercise to take place later this year and for an additional air force exercise to occur next year, the report says.

During the visit, an additional formal agreement on joint training and cooperation between the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and the Indian Army that will mainly focus on counter-terrorism is expected to be signed, according to the Liberty Times.

The expansion of military cooperation between India and Japan is likely to be seen as a move to balance against China's growing military and economic influence in the region.

China has pursued a policy of?militarizing?the South China Sea, leading to a?joint statement?by Australia, Japan and the U.S. opposing unilateral action in the region after the Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2018

In addition, China's exploitative lending practices to economically disadvantaged countries through its Belt and Road Initiative, frequently called "dept trap diplomacy" is starting to rear its head in South Asia. Debt related problems in the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are significant issues according to the Economic Times of India.

India, Japan and the U.S. have been operating joint naval exercises since 1992, named Exercise Malabar. Exercise Malabar previously included special guests Australia and Singapore, and have become increasingly sophisticated.